The New Mexico Human Trafficking Task Force, spearheaded by the attorney general's office, is applauding a unique new cellphone app that uses hotel photos to curb human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a growing problem in New Mexico. With just a few clicks online, traffickers solicit victims to the public and oftentimes share a photo of the victim in a hotel room.

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TraffickCam is available for both iPhones and Androids, and is using those photos to turn the tables on traffickers.

The app encourages users to snap a few pictures of the hotel rooms in which they are staying and then upload them into the app.

The pictures go into a database so police can use the photos to match those taken by traffickers and posted on the web.

A special undercover agent with the attorney general's office, who has worked hundreds of human trafficking cases in New Mexico, says that the app could save the lives of victims.

"It certainly can allow law enforcement agencies to potentially isolate and narrow where a victim and the trafficker might be," the agent said.

The agent says that they are working with the app's developers to see how police agencies can access the app and use it to their advantage.

"These victims don't know how to reach out for help and they don't know who to turn to," the agent said. "It's very difficult to hear their stories and their experiences, that have sometimes been going on since they were juveniles."

The agent also said that the attorney general's office is planning to educate hotels statewide on how to better spot human trafficking operations.

If a male is with a considerably younger female who seems submissive or nervous, employees should call police, according to the agent.

The agent also said that employees should be wary of people paying for rooms in cash or if there are a lot of different men going in and out of their hotel.